A range of agricultural implements have been developed and are presently in use for tilling, planting, harvesting, and so forth. Seeders, for example, are commonly towed behind tractors and may cover wide swaths of ground which may be tilled or untilled. Such devices typically open the soil, dispense seeds in the soil opening, and re-close the soil in a single operation. In seeders, seeds are commonly dispensed from bulk seed tanks and distributed to row units by a distribution system. In certain configurations, air carts are towed behind the seeders to deliver a desired flow of seeds to the row units.
Air carts generally include a seed storage tank, an air source (e.g., a blower) and a metering assembly. The seeds are typically gravity fed from the storage tank to the metering assembly that distributes a desired volume of seeds into an air flow generated by the air source. The air flow then carries the seeds to the row units via conduits extending between the air cart and the seeders. The metering assembly typically includes meter rollers or other metering devices that regulate the flow of seeds based on meter roller geometry and rotation rate. However, because typical meter rollers employ a series of flutes and recesses to control the flow of seeds, the flow is generally discontinuous with respect to space and time. The degree of discontinuity generally increases for low meter roller rotation speeds, such as those typically employed for smaller grains (e.g., canola, mustard, etc.).
Delivering seeds to the row units at a desired and continuous rate ensures proper seed distribution within the soil. Unfortunately, the discontinuity in seed flow rate from the meter rollers increases the difficulty associated with flow rate measurement and adjustment.
One system that has been developed to measure flow rate discontinuity is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,176,797, the entirety of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. In this method, a meter roller is rotated in discrete increments and the mass of the seeds or other material dispensed by the roller is measured. This measurement is then compared to the mass of product dispensed by the roller after a complete revolution of the roller and utilized to determine at statistical parameter indicative of the flow rate discontinuity for the roller.
While this prior art method can determine one measure for the continuity of the metering roller, this test method requires a significant amount of time to perform, and does not ideally represent how a meter roller would perform during field operation due to the slow and intermittent operation of the roller, as opposed to the continuous operation of the roller as employed in the field.
Consequently, it is desirable to develop an improved system and method for measuring flow rate discontinuity from current meter roller designs and quantifying the degree of discontinuity. Such a configuration may facilitate development of future meter rollers that provide enhanced flow characteristics.